It doesn’t get much hotter than the EGG cookin’ in July! Make sure to keep yourself hydrated with a bit of whatever you’re using for the Beer Can Chicken. Ice Cream Sandwiches are also a great way to stay cool. Looking for some great ideas for a summer cook out? Try out a Pimento Cheeseburger or Dr. BBQ’s Spare Rib Surprise. Just don’t be surprised if your neighbors stop by for a quick bite when they smell what you’re cooking!

Maiden Voyage - pic heavy

I've been lurking these forums for about a month now. Long story short, the SWMBO was going to take me to Daytona this year for my 40th (dinner with the drivers, pit passes, etc) but logistics with the kids just wouldn't make. When she broke the news to me, I was a little bummed. She offered several ideas but, suddenly, I was struck with a fit of genius - I wanted an egg! So, she bought me an egg for my 40th birthday (which is in three weeks) and it was delivered today. Plan is to learn how to use the thing and then cook a pork shoulder and some ribs for a party. You gotta start somewhere so I started with spatchcock chickens. I've been cooking on a Weber kettle for 20 years and these were the best chickens I've managed. Tomorrow we're doing ribs. We prefer ribs with a little bite - just enough to pull from the bone, but not fall off when you pick them up. Any suggestions for cooking strategies? My plan is raised grid at 250 in a rib rack until they're pulled back from the bone. Is there a better approach with the egg?

A little background - SWMBO is from New Orleans (her dad from Lafayette and her mom New Iberia. I'm from Powder Springs, GA - life long native of metro Atlanta (mother is a Marietta native generations back and dad is a yankee dairy farmer from up-state New York).

@Chacahoula_Tiger - yeah, photography is something I fell into out of necessity, but have grown to love. I mostly shoot industrial - I got into large manufacturing facilities and make them look pretty. Which is much easier than shooting people - machines don't require chit-chat.

Welcome to the forum and congradulations on the Egg. I like your DIY raised food grate set up with the threaded rod, washers, and nuts. One of the best parts about the Egg is the ability to BBQ and smoke in the cold weather. It's always summer time when you have an Egg.

It's also amazing what a good off-camera strobe will do for the quality of the photos, in addition to some pro-quality glass for the camera. Thanks for sharing.

@Badong - yes, indeed. The delivery of the table and the egg didn't go as planned. On top of getting everything at once I didn't have anything to set the egg on in the table. The wife went to another dealer and grabbed the table nest for me. With a 2x4 and just a little cursing, I was able to get the egg in the table nest.

My dad is coming to visit in a few weeks, so I'm going to get him to help me lift it out of the table and get everything sealed properly. I have a can of Helmsman in the basement just for this task. Was going to stain it the same color as deck, but SWMBO prefers the natural color. So that's what we'll do.

Thanks, everyone, for the welcome. I'm really looking forward to using this thing more. Was on the phone with father-in-law (who has an egg) this morning talking about the chicken from last night. He wants to give it try.

@brianwdmn - I saw the DIY raised grid at the Naked Whiz. Figured I'd wait a while before getting too many accessories. Got a Thermopen, had a Maverick for the Weber kettle. I know I want a stoker of some sort. I am looking forward to smoking in the cold without being in the cold as much. Re the strobes - I chase my kids around the yard with that beauty dish, strobe, power pack on a stand in my left hand and a camera in my right. That's my cardio routine and it works well - keeps the wife/grandparents in photos and gets my heart rate up.